Controlled oxygen plasma treatment of single-walled carbon nanotube films improves osteoblast cells attachment and enhances their proliferation

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that oxygen plasma treatment optimizes the surface of single-walled carbon nanotube films, significantly improving osteoblast cell attachment and proliferation by balancing surface hydrophilicity and surface integrity.

Contribution

It introduces an optimal oxygen plasma treatment protocol that enhances cell adhesion and growth on SWCNT films, advancing their biomedical application potential.

Findings

Oxygen plasma treatment increases SWCNT surface hydrophilicity.

Optimal treatment duration is 5 minutes for osteoblast growth.

Enhanced cell adhesion correlates with improved surface properties.

Abstract

The effects of oxidative treatment of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the adhesion and proliferation of human osteoblasts (SAOS-2) were investigated. The surface properties of SWCNTs after oxygen plasma treatment were characterised by contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The immunofluorescent staining of vinculin, actin filaments and nuclei was used to probe cell adhesion and growth on SWCNT films. Our results show that adhesion and proliferation of human osteoblasts cultivated on SWCNT films indeed depends on the degree of an oxidative treatment. As an optimal procedure was found the treatment with oxygen plasma for 5 min. In the latter case the osteoblasts form a confluent layer with pronounced focal adhesions throughout the entire cell body. The optimal conditions compromise the effect of hydrophilic character of SWCNT films and the level of damage of SWCNT surface.